.. welcome to north korea world news line. i'm gene otani in tokyo. here's a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. jordanian leaders are determined to intensify the fight against islamic state after the group killed one of their pilots. people at mcdonald's japan say the safety of their food last year have hammered their earnings. executives auto parts maker

taka takata have had a year to forget with faulty airbags. and a japanese man will be spending years in prison for breaking into computers to spread death threats. jordan has vowed to boost the military offensive against the islamic military group and the video shows apparent killing of captured jordanian pilot muath al kaseasbeh. king abdullah cut short his trip to the united states and returned home wednesday at the national security meeting he reportedly vowed a relentless war against the militants. mohammad al momani said the aim is to intensify efforts to undermine, degrade and eventually finish the group. >> about 200 people offered

prayers for the slain pilot as ceremony in aman and held up a banner with the words farewell to our hero. >> what happened to the hostage, japanese hostages and the jordanian brave fighter totally unacceptable. totally unacceptable. >> the pilots father said in a television interview the militants are criminals who must be eliminated. >> translator: muath was not only my son, he was the son of all jordanians. we're all grieving from the bottom of our hearts. i want the government to come down heavy on the militants and defeat them. >> reporter: calls for avenging the pilot's killing are increasing in the country. one resident said the country is angry and the execution of two al qaeda prisoners is not enough. while jordan vows to step up its fight against islamic state another key player is scaling

back from the campaign. western media is reporting united air of emirates is suspending their strikes after muath al kaseasbeh was captured. they said they feared for the safety of their own pilots. the "new york times" was the first to make the decision. they want 7 and rescue efforts improved in iraq. the u.n. says it has begun making such arrangements and not clear if it was in response to uae's concerns. japanese officials are considering increasing humanitarian aid to the middle east above what the prime minister recently pledged. shinzo abe pledged $200 billion for refugees displaced by islamic state. >> translator: japan is resolved to fulfill its responsibility in the fight against terrorism by expanding humanitarian aid to the middle east while working with the international

community. >> the officials say they will work out ways to provide food and medical assistance to refugees in iraq syria and other nearby countries. japanese companies operate ing the middle east are dealing with new security concerns. the apparent killing of two japanese nationals by islamic state militants has caused them to reassess their safety procedures. experts say more action may be needed. >> reporter: japanese businesses and consumers rely on the middle east for more than 80% of crude oil imparts. many company executives see potential for high growth in the region and looking to expand operations there. officials at the foreign ministries say more than 650 projects of japanese companies are active in the middle east. but executives considers the threat of terrorism.

islamic state militants have vowed to continue targeting japanese nationals. mitsubishi electric is one of the companies hoping to expand in the middle east. executives are setting up spaces in turkey. >> translator: it's an important market for us so we're not about to change our plans. we'll do all we can to make sure our employees are safe. for example, by urging them to pay attention to terror alerts. >> reporter: employing about 100 japanese national at the plant in saudi arabia. the metal corporation in dubai is focusing on oil field products. executives at both companies center, mails to all staff urging them to be on the lookout for warnings from the foreign ministry and stay on alert for

possible terrorist attacks. terrorists may be looking to attack all attack auto plants or any facilities expressly related to japan. >> translator: to be honest i don't know what the target will be. extremists may be eyeing japanese interests or an attack may unintentionally involve them. it's important for staff to pay close attention to security advisories issued by local authorities but should check japanese media reports against local information or see what the western media is saying. keeping in contact with police security authorities and other networks is another important step. >> reporter: the growing economic importance of the middle east means the japanese companies will continue to increase their presence in the region. as they boost their activities executive s executives have to determine the best way to focus their security

efforts. they need to keep a close eye on the local situation both to take advantage of business opportunities and to keep their workers safe. "nhk world," tokoyo. a somber picture for mcdonald's japan. rob madison is here with more on this story. >> yeah. things haven't been going very well, have they? we heard about the problem with procured meat and people have been finding pretty strange things in their food all of this painting a pretty bleak picture in mcdonald's japan's earnings and they say they racked up heavy losses after a scandal of expired meat and brought in only 1.89 million$1.89 billion in sales and losses $186 million and sales in january plunges

nearly 40% since the same time last year and the most since 2001. they blamed the latest result on another scandal. they received complaints from customers who found plastic in their chicken nuggets. the company president, sarah cass san nova confronted the media. >> i would like to sincerely apologize once again for all the anxiety and concern for recent reports on forforeign related objects have caused our customers. she said the firm will do whatever it takes to fix the food quality issues. automaker takata has released a report that is even more bleak worse than they nout. they reported $25 million for extra charges for vehicle recalls to replace potentially deadly airbags. as a result their losses for the fiscal year expanded to $432

million and revised up their estimated net loss to 265$265 million. executives say they haven't yet factors in the cost of an investigation into the worldwide recalls. they're still talking to car mistakers about how to divide up that expense. the people over at auto make er suzuki had a better year an operating profit $1.15 billion between april and december the best ever for the nine month period. they point to strong sales in india and control 40% of the fast growing market and credit the growing yen for their profits. greece becomes concerned about their situation after there was acceptance of the greek bond. that decision casting a shadow over markets in europe all in negative territory. frankfurt has clawed back a bit

and only down just a touch while london and paris both down almost .4%. trading in china says they will cut reserve ratio for the first time in 2 1/2 years. stocks jumped after the announcement but profit taken erased all the gains and closed down 1.2% 3136. in tokyo, posting profits on blue chip shares such as toyota and tacausing them to slip. trading from a two month high closing the day down about half a percent. sidney rose for an 11th straight session hitting up almost .6%. moving to currency the euro is clawingback some of the ground it lost 1.1431. the single currency got a boost

showing orders surge edd in december. the euro looking like this 1 11431. and dollar yen 117.39 and u.s. jobs data due out friday. people in japan last year welcomed more than 13 million visitors to their shores and they're trying to capitalize on the tourism boom. >> reporter: a popular tourist destination where tourists can enjoy the mountain's highest peak. tourism has nearly doubled over the past two years. this traditional japanese inn has been in business about 400 years. in january, it started a new service to attract more foreign

guests. guests. >> please enjoy our program of dancing and music. ♪ >> reporter: geisha entertain the guests with japanese dances and songs. ♪ >> reporter: it usually costs nearly $500 to hire three geisha for two hours. geisha have traditionally been hired by japanese companies wanting to entertain their guests. but businesses have been cut back on their entertainment expenses. the target has now shift ed toed to foreign guests. guests in a group of 10 or more can enjoy the special service for only about $25 each. the inn can offer this low price because it only holds this event on sunday through thursday when the hotel is not so busy. >> it is great and a unique

experience. >> it was surprising and we enjoyed it very much. >> reporter: at the end of the banquet, guests can have their photographs taken with the geisha. the inn hopes satisfied customers will spread word of the service to others through e-mail and social networking services. the in nn efforts have paid off receiving over 50 inquiries from different countries and regions about the new service. >> translator: we can benefit a lot from foreign tourists because they stay on weekdays and even during the off-season. we hope our geisha service will spread by word of mouth so we can hold more of the events. >> reporter: japanese hotels are reimagining the services they offer in a variety of ways from traditional hospitality to the appeal of popular culture.

hello kitty is a character created 41 years ago in japan. its popularity is spreading all over the world, especially in east asia. avid fans come to tokyo to visit a theme park where they can meet the character. >> i like hello kitty and it's very cute. >> she's having fun. >> reporter: how about you? >> of course i enjoy when my kids enjoy. >> reporter: this hotel saw the character's worldwide popularity as a way to bring in new customers. last november it redecorated eight of its rooms with a hello kitty theme. on the wall she is dressed as a princess. the sofa is decorated with kitty's ribbons. even in the bathroom. from the scales to the dryer,

you'll find hello kitty everywhere. prices start from around 200$200 per person. that's twice the normal rate. but the rooms are almost always full and nearly half of the guests are foreign visitors. >> translator: i was really amazed to see hello kitty loved by so many people. we were successful in promoteding our hotel to hello kitty fans who we didn't have any connections with before. >> reporter: the number of foreign tourists coming to japan looks set to grow and hotels are competing to get their business by creating memories their guests will never forget. >> okay. that is going to do it for biz tonight. i'll leave you with the market.

taiwanese aviation authorities have called for checks on a model of aircraft involved in two fatal crashes in less than a year.

the latest accident happened wednesday when a transasia airways lost control and plunged into a river. at least 12 people died and 12 others are missing. search teams and salvage crews remain on the muddy banks of the river looking for signs and life of and clues following the transairways crash. >> translator: the water temperature is low and visibility is poor so the rest skew effort will be difficult. >> reporter: flight 235 ran into trouble soon after takeoff as the plane came down a wing clipped a taxi in the edge of an overpass and smashed into the river belly up. then propjet was traveling from downtown taipei to jeman island. it issued a mayday call and aviation authorities lost

contact. 58 people were on board many chinese tourists. more than a dozen survived along with the people in that taxi the plane hit. hospital officials say the injured suffered trauma to their limps, heads and bodies. transasia ceo apologized for what happened and said his company has been adhering to strict regulations following an accident of the same aircraft last july also in taiwan. 48 people died in that crash. investigators will pick through the wreckage of flight 235 to find out what went wrong this time and mine the plane's black box fors information. they already noted the weather conditions were suitable for flying. aviation expert and former pilot says he can imagine something was seriously wrong with the engines. the aircraft in question had been in service for less than a year. but with two crashes involving this type of plane in seven

months taiwanese aviation authorities aren't taking any chances. they ordered airlines to ground all similar propjets in taiwan for inspections. north korea world. "nhk world".." a japanese man is going to prison for eight years for hacking into computers to spread violence and issue death threats. he was able to break into devices and control them remotely. experts say his case should serve as a warning to the public. "nhk world" explains. >> reporter: former it worker was arrested in 2013 on charges of possible obstruction of business. before this police mistakenly arrested four men who owned the computers he used in the crime. it turned outside the computers

had been infected with a virus and were being remotely controlled. he threatened mass murder as well as destruction of a famous shrine and a passenger jet. a tokyo district court judge said he committed the crimes with the total disregard how they would affect the lives of innocent people. the presiding judge found no mitigating circumstances and handed down a prison sentence. the risk of falling victim to computer hijacking is everywhere. free wifi and wireless hotspots also carry a risk. many cafes and other places offer free wifi access. but some can be malicious. if you connect to a malicious access point, your id and password can show up on different computer screen.

information security experts said hackers can steal personal information this way. and use it to infect computers with remote control viruses. >> translator: we need to be aware at all times that we may be monitored or watched. the most important thing is to not enter private information such as ids or passwords while using free wifi. >> reporter: computer networking plays a key role in modern life. a failure to crack down on cyber crime could greatly upset society and have serious consequences. "nhk world".." flooding continues to cause problems in southern europe including serious damage to a unesco world heritage site. jonathan oh is here with details. >> hi, gene, we are keeping an

eye in southern europe once again because we haven't been seeing persistent rainfall extending the past week or so and further back in some places. you can see the clear area of rotation south of france pushing towards italy bringing a lot of ample moisture with it. all the moisture is affecting east to italy and the ballkans peninsula. we will start in macedonia first and give you an idea what's happening there. this lingering low pressure system and waves of other low pressure system have caused days of severe weather in southern europe. drenching waves led to widespread flooding in macedonia and could for flooding defenses wednesday and winds damaged a structure in pompeii, a world heritage site and the rain will persist into the weekend. you can see the damage and devastation that comes from the consistent persistent rainfall.

we see here the low pressure system in the western mediterranean. the influence a lot larger as it brings all the moisture further east and into the balkans and italian peninsula. we are not only seeing rainfall but also strong thunderstorms popping up with the system. gusts up to 120 kilometers an hour possible with snow up to 70 centimeters. we can't rule out isolated tornadoes and flooding is a problem and will continue to be a problem through the day. we are seeing a cold behind the low and snow in moscow and through thursday. in north america. new york and new england states see flurries through the day as low pressure system is departing from the area but still driving cold air. another low coming out of the deep south will depart and help start clearing out the skies but we will also see windy

conditions in the process. let me take you to the western side of the united states and canada. we are connected to a pineapple express setup. lots of rain coming up with this. we're looking at 200 millimeters of rainfall in northern california and pacific northwest along the coast. flooding is going to be a concern as we go through the rest of this week. 11 degrees in vancouver, 13 in seattle and cold temperatures in seattle and toronto and winnipeg. nearly negative 10 degrees in many areas and the u.s. lets go to japan where we saw flurries flying around some areas of the country and accumulated snowfall. low pressure is continuing to track away and an influence with moisture and may be some showers and snow flurries during the overnight period and that is tapering off rather quickly and behind that be see a warming

friend as high pressure moves in behind a southerly flow and nice temperature warming up into the teens. high of tokyo, high of 12 degrees clearing skies through the days. and 8 in beijing and dry as we go down southern portions of this area. hope you have a good day.

people are flocking to a city in northern japan to enjoy

a frozen vision of the world. ♪ they're checking out the works of the art of the 66th annual snow festival. visitors can see over 200 snow and ice sculptures at three separate sites. some stand 15 meters high. one group of artists created part of this shrine at the an ness sca world heritage site in the japanese city of. and another carve edd a city in manila. >> translator: this is my first visit. it's overwhelming. the shrine statute is so big and detailed. >> the statutes are wonderful so i really enjoy them. >> the sculptures will be standing for the coming week. organizers expect over $2 million vis -- 2 million

visitors. that's "newsline." thanks very much for joining us. until next time, good-bye.

ncois hollande focuses on international policy in his press conference, making a surprise announcement that he and herman chancellor angela merkel -- german chancellor angela merkel are headed to russia with a new peace plan. john kerry will talk about a new policy that good arm ukrainian forces in the fight -- that could harm ukrainian forces in the fight against pro-russian rebels. a surprise move from the ecb to block a key source of hunting --